Robert Morse, (born May 18, 1931) is an American actor. Morse is best known for his appearances in musicals and plays on Broadway, and has also acted in movies and TV shows. Morse was born in Newton, Massachusetts. He served in the US Navy in the Korean War.
Morse created the role of Barnaby in The Matchmaker on Broadway in 1955 opposite Ruth Gordon, and reprised the role in 1958 in the filmed version, this time opposite Shirley Booth.
His most famous role was that of J. Pierpont Finch in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, for which he received a Tony Award in 1961. He also starred in the 1968 movie version. In 1965 he appeared in the black comedy The Loved One, a movie based on the novel by Evelyn Waugh that satirized the funeral business in Los Angeles, in particular the Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Morse was in the original Broadway cast of Sugar, a 1972 stage version of Some Like It Hot, for which he was nominated for another Tony.
Morse has appeared in numerous TV shows, beginning in 1955 with the soap opera The Secret Storm and including mysteries, comedies, and variety shows. He had a featured role in the 1993 miniseries, Wild Palms. His most recent credit was the 2000 City of Angels, a minor medical drama in which he had a regular part.
In 1990 he played Truman Capote in the one-man stage play, Tru , for which he received a second Tony Award (and his fifth nomination), this time for dramatic performance. The PBS television version in 1992 earned him an Emmy Award.
He has been married three times and has five children.
External links
Last updated: 08-24-2005 15:56:41
